Yujo Chronicles 5: Ankara's Story
by surreptitiouspen
Summary: Fifth in Series! Hiei has lived with the pain of hidden away memories for most of his life. When a concerned Kurama questions his friend's past, a tale spun with the very threads of joy, sorrow, love and hatred is revealed. YYH.YGO.WKcross
1. Coming of the Tide

Authoress here.

Sort of makes me sad, how this is the last of the Yujo Chronicles, translated to the Friendship Chronicles. If you haven't read the first four, then I shall give you the brief rundown. I'll make this as short as possible.

First, in **Emiko's Story, **Kurama starts reminiscing about his mate, lost to him when he became human.

A girl at his school starts acting strangely, giving him reason to believe she is Emiko, his mate from his days as Yoko. Hiei reads her once hidden memories, awakening her to her past and Kurama to her true identity.

Next, in **Katsuko's Story**, Yusuke gets a brutal emotional blow when long-time girlfriend Kaiko dumps him. Partly to gain vengeance against her and partly out of grudging curiosity, Yusuke agrees to model his bad-boy look for pretty shutterbug Katsuko, alias Katsu.

Just when the two begin to fall for one another, a demon organization kidnaps Yusuke. After a dramatic rescue, Yusuke and Katsu decide to "just be friends" so Yusuke's heart can mend from Kaiko.

This brings us to Kiamo's Story, where we take a step out of strange demonic events and explore the boundaries of matters of the heart and shrewd business minds. Kiamo, friend and co-worker of Emiko's and Katsu's, thinks she has it made when big-bucks Seto Kaiba comes to town and begins to romance her.

What she later finds out is Seto is using her in order to buy a company that would assuredly make him millions. This information devastates emotionally vulnerable Kiamo, and Seto is ridden with both guilt and the realization he has developed feelings for Kiamo. The story ends with a romantic apology and happiness all around.

And lastly, **Narrin's Story**. Koenma, Prince of Spirit World, has stumbled onto a catastrophe too big for just the Spirit Detective and co to handle. He calls on the aid of Weiss Kreuz leader Aya to help the Fearsome Foursome (plus Emiko) rid France of an ex-goddess.

Narrin, once the goddess Narrinlorinia of the Honeyed Tongues, still has retained her power for persuasive speaking. Using this, she befuddles the entire French nation into thinking she is their rightful Queen. When the good guys leap in, guns blazing, she manages to capture them all with a little bit of her magic voice. While in captivity, Aya gets through to her tender heart with some quick thinking and a heartfelt kiss. Narrin releases both the Spirit Detectives and her hold on the Crown of France, succumbing to Aya's advances in a winning situation for all.

Here we are, standing on the brink of our final installment. I'm excited! This idea isn't entirely my own, though the original storyline has been tweaked here greatly. Many thanks to the fangirl whom Ankara is based upon. You go, FierceOne!

This story is set around a month after The YYH gang got back home from their mission to France concerning Narrin.

Now...to our story!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story**

**Chapter One**

"Have you guys started a cult or something?" Pretty and strictly business Shizuru Kuwabara complained as she held the screen door open lazily. "You travel in one obnoxious pack all th' time."

Yusuke Urameshi just gave her a cocky grin and pulled his new girlfriend closer to himself. The girlfriend was none other than sweet photography-nut Katsuko Majoh. After her first encounter with any sort of demon, she was left with almost pure white eyes, showing only the faintest hint of her once-deep hazel eyes.

"Shizuru, y'should feel honored we're partying at your place." Yusuke drawled. "We're fricken' heros with worldwide recognition."

"Right." Shizuru gave the teen a playful buffet to the back of his head. Yusuke ducked vainly, wiggling away from Shizuru's abuse.

"Katsu! Help!" Yusuke yelped as Shizuru's palm connected with his head a second time. "I can't hit Shizuru- Ouch!"

Shizuru whacked him in earnest then. "Listen, punk, I could clean the street with your stinken' hide, so don't go on sayin' I'm a weakling!"

"I don't believe he meant to insinuate that." An amused voice chuckled from inside. "Yusuke isn't that much of an idiot." It was Kurama, the once fox-demon.

"You'd be surprised." Katsu said dryly. Yusuke sent her an expression of mock hurt as Shizuru relented and allowed them to walk inside.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Katsu rolled her eyes and patted his dark head. "Don't think about it too much. If I said you were smarter than Kuwabara, would you feel better?"

Yusuke poked her side. "That ain't hard t'do."

Just then the teen in question walked into the living room. Kazuma Kuwabara, known widely by his last name only, wore his bemused expression as he addressed his best friend. "What ain't hard, Urameshi? I didn't catch it."

"Exactly," Yusuke laughed, sending Katsu into a fit of giggles. Kuwabara just scratched his chin before shrugging it off and plopping down to sit next to Emiko on the couch.

Emiko was the short-haired red-headed mate of Kurama's, from when they both were powerful demons. Now also in a human body, she had retained her demonic abilities along with Kurama.

"D'you think Hiei'll bother t'come?" Kuwabara asked.

Kurama shrugged, one arm resting comfortably across Emiko's shoulders. "He might. I know Hiei grudgingly enjoys these little conventions, even though he hides it. But lately he's been quite divergent from his customary self."

Emiko nodded her agreement. Yusuke exchanged a glance with Katsu, who appeared mystified. "I didn't realize he was actin' weird. Er, weirder than usual." Yusuke said.

"I haven't really known him for too long to know what he's usually like," Katsu mused. "But we haven't really seen him since the thing with Queen Narrin."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Kuwabara hauled himself from the couch to answer the door, seeing as Shizuru had retreated to her bedroom. "Oh, hey Kiamo, Seto."

Kiamo was a coworker of Emiko's both holding part-time jobs at a local teen café, and one of Katsu's closest friends. She had a gorgeous head of bleached blonde hair, and was quite seemly in appearance.

The tall man next to her looked out of place, although he was dressed casually. Clad in expensive black Gucci slacks, a silken turtleneck of a deep azure, and black leather dress shoes, he looked more ready to attend a champagne party than some Friday night shindig thrown together last-minute. He was multimillionaire Seto Kaiba, and also Kiamo's steady bishonen of nearly two months.

After their wild up-and-down first few dates, Seto had come clean about the deal made with the owner of Hirugasashi Electronics to Kiamo. He had explained that the owner deemed his public image too harsh for the usual reputation of the company. Mrs. Hitome Hirugasashi had given him a month to soften the image before she would even consider letting Seto buy her company.

Seto had decided getting caught on film with an innocent small-city girl would be the ticket to the company he desired. But when he started have tangible feelings for Kiamo, guilt had set in. Now, however, the two were spending most weekends together, both happy as clams.

"Have a seat any ware that there isn't pizza." Kuwabara gestured at the shabby furniture that filled his living room. Kiamo looked around, and a frown wrinkled her forehead.

"Hey, we're missing someone. Hiei, isn't it?"

"Yes," Kurama nodded. "We don't know if he's planning on showing or not."

"If you louts would mind taking notice once in awhile, you might see I'm here." The cynical voice of the black-haired demon made them all jump. Sure enough, Hiei was leaning on the door frame, glaring at them in his typical greeting.

"Nice!" Kuwabara declared, getting up a second time to let Hiei in. "We're all here, let's get this party started!"

The wee hours of the morning saw the party still going strong. After demolishing six large pizzas, the group ate their way through a couple bags of chips and other snacks before finally relenting.

Shizuru got fed up around one-thirty. "Okay, now, everybody out!" She ordered. "I gotta work in the morning; you guys go some ware else!"

Kiamo and Seto made their excuses, and drove off together in the Ferrari Seto had driven to the party. Doubtless they were off to continue the evening in a different sort of manner, but nobody commented.

Moaning and complaining a little, the rest of the group left the Kuwabara household and ended up at a nearby park surrounded by empty office compounds. The street lamps and provided sufficient light for talking and laughing, and the area was secluded enough for the same activities.

Emiko and Kurama claimed a park bench under one street lamp. Laying her head between Kurama's strong shoulder and the crook of his neck, Emiko curled up comfortably next to her mate. Kuwabara saw Kurama resting his cheek on Emiko's dark red hair and sniggered.

"Fox-Boy's gone soft!" Kuwabara taunted.

"And you've gone moronic." Emiko replied loftily. "He has in no way gone soft. He's perfect. And snuggable."

"Snuggable?" Yusuke raised an eyebrow.

Katsu was nodding her agreement. "Yusuke's snuggable too."

Kuwabara got an even bigger kick out of Yusuke being called snuggable. He started hooting his mirth to the stars above. Katsu sent him a withering glare. "I'll bet your little Yukina thinks you're snuggable. Any guy who's attractive to a girl is considered snuggable."

Kuwabara puffed out his chest proudly at the mention of Yukina. "Yeah, maybe I am snuggable, if Yukina thinks so."

Yusuke smirked. "I have my doubts about you and Yukina, man. Katty said the guy's gotta be attractive to a chick."

"Shuddap, Urameshi. Any guy could be attractive if the girl loves 'em."

Yusuke laughed. "You're tryin' to be deep, Kuwabara. It don't suit you."

Kurama glanced around. Hiei hadn't said a thing since they had left the Kuwabara house. Green eyes cutting through the gloom past the circle of streetlamp light, Kurama frowned. Hiei wasn't with them any longer. On a hunch, Kurama directed his eyes skyward. Silhouetted against the nearly full moon was the dark figure of Hiei, sitting on a nearby office compound rooftop.

"I'll be right back," Kurama murmured to Emiko, who glanced at him curiously. Not being the type to pry, Emiko simply gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You'd better be," Emiko whispered back, looking up through a curtain of eyelashes. Kurama raised a suggestive eyebrow, and in response Emiko gave his earlobe a small nibble before drawing away. Kurama gave her a slow, titillate smile before striding into the darkness.

Katsu, Yusuke, and Kuwabara failed to notice. An irate Katsu was glaring at Yusuke, who had made a suggestive comment on the real definition of 'snuggable.'

"Come on, Yusuke, that was just nasty." Katsu snapped. Yusuke dodged her fist with a snort.

"Don't get yourself in a snit, Katty." Yusuke laughed. Kuwabara was doubled up with laughter after Yusuke's denouncement of the once-innocent term. Katsu was about to launch another fist at Yusuke when he tackled her, wrapping his arms around her waist and sending them both sprawling.

Hiei turned as a soft rustle disrupted the otherwise quiet of the evening. He glared and resumed his pervious position. "Can I help you, Kurama?"

The fox demon smiled, the vines he grew to scale the wall up to Hiei's lofty perch slowly curling away. "Now now, Hiei. It's bad manners to slip away without saying goodbye."

"You did without any large pangs of remorse."

Kurama gave a short, humorless laugh. "Haven't you been doing enough perpetual angst brooding lately?"

"Hn." Hiei scrutinized the night sky with his usual glare.

"I can see it. Emiko can see it. Even Kuwabara notices something is wrong with you lately." Kurama regarded his friend unblinkingly.

Hiei scowled, eyes scanning the night sky. "Get off the roof, Kurama. You might slip and break you neck. I wouldn't care, but your little mate might start to cry."

Kurama smiled, and sat more comfortably next to his demonic friend. "Come now, Hiei. Where has your sense of logic gone? I was quite the thief as Yoko, and then I practically lived on rooftops."

"Hn." Hiei purposefully avoided his friend's eyes.

"Come on, Hiei. You've been fingering your mother's teardrop pearl much more than you usually do." Kurama prompted.

Hiei took out the object of question. The perfectly round pearl dangled on the fine chain, that was constantly some ware on Hiei's person. The first time Kurama had questioned of its origin Hiei had said it was one of his mother's tears.

"Well?" Kurama asked gently.

"This isn't my mother's," Hiei said slowly. "Nor is it Yukina's. It once belonged to..."

Kurama waited silently, eyes searching his friend's face for any telltale signs of emotion. Hiei's eyes had softened, and a well of sadness bubbled up in the demon's gaze. His entire being sagged as the weight of memories leaned heavily onto his already burdened shoulders.

"It once belonged to a girl I knew."

Kurama voiced his question after a moment of silence. "Who was this woman?"

Hiei sighed. "I suppose you'll only keep nagging me if I refuse to tell you."

Kurama grinned, confirming Hiei's statement. The black haired demon shifted uncomfortably, gathering his thoughts. The memories played out before his eyes, as though he were an outsider watching his own life take place. With a flat voice, he began to speak.

* * *

Authoress here.

This no tab deal is REALLY starting to get on my nerves. Really, really, really starting to get on my nerves.  
  
I think it's a trend, to not hardly mention the "main character" of the Yujo Chronicles. I haven't even said Ankara once. And "It once belonged to a girl I knew" doesn't count. So foo.

Anyhoo, I can't think of anything more to say, other than...CLIFFHANGER!! WheeeeeeEE!


	2. The Death of a Friend

Authoress here. Finally.  
  
Okay, I apologize for the immense wait!! I do have a good reason, however. I ride on two bloody drill teams, one for competition and one for exhibition at our state fair. Both performances are on the same weekend, and we practice twice a week, every week, for a total time of six-plus hours at the barn a week. And now, add that time onto cleaning tack, cleaning horse, clipping horse, cleaning horse AGAIN, cleaning tack again, and the allotted "freaking-out-about-major-performance" time, I'm pretty booked up.  
  
And another good reason happens to be Writer's Block. I inherited it from JewelValentine, LadyKatsu, and Taehieko9683....THANKS GUYS. And...I might be stalling....I don't want the Yujo Chronicles to end!! But to the beginning of every instance that gives pleasure there must be an ending, and in essence the ending makes the duration all the sweeter. And if I get really pathetic I might just have to write an epilogue.  
  
Anyways, onto the second chapter!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story  
Chapter 2**  
  
From the moment Hiei started speaking, his mind brought back the memories, playing them back over his eyes in a relentless stream. His voice was flat, conveying nothing of what he felt inside.  
  
Kurama listened carefully, reading much more than just what Hiei was saying. He noted every haunted shadow that crossed his friend's face, saw every rapid blink that kept unwept tears away. but soon, he noticed images floating at the edge of his vision. Alarmed, he sent a quick glance at the dark haired demon and saw in surprise that Hiei's Jagon Eye was glowing. Tentatively, the fox-demon rested a hand on Hiei's shoulder. The images strengthened and solidified, until both demons saw the tale as if they were living it.  
  
_Many Years Ago_  
  
In a band of roving demon bandits, rank is everything. Like a pack of wolves, the stronger you are, the more respect you receive. But unlike wolves, animals that care for one another and keep the ranking only in order to better survive, bandits are kill or be killed. Be used until you can't go on. Only the stronger make it through the tribulations of living.  
  
Such was the world Hiei fell into. Abandoned by his mother, Hiei cut a living from the sorrow of others, stealing what he needed to survive, and surviving off of the barest minimum.  
  
The loneliness was the only threat to the young demon. The bitter nights of huddling in some forgotten corner will corrode even the strongest soul, and Hiei was no exception. In an attempt to salve the wounds his abandonment had inflicted, Hiei began to run with a roving band of robbers and other scum of the worlds.  
  
It was a freezing night and the snow was thick. The band of fifteen demons huddled around a meager fire they had started in the middle of the vast icy stretch of nothingness. The largest one, obviously the leader, pulled closer to the flickering flames. Another demon, squint-eyed and pale by nature, spoke up nervously, his long ears flapping as he spoke.  
  
"Boss?" The creature gulped anxiously, hoping the larger demon was in a peaceable mood. "When we a'gettin' to the-"  
  
"Shut up, scumbag." The leader's voice cracked like a whip, and his clawed hands made little holes in the ragged blanket he had wrapped around his overly broad shoulders. "We'll move in an hour, once my feet have stopped tinglin' and I can feel 'em again. Then, once first light hits, we'll be at the base of Ice World, just in time for the sacrificial festival at Kaere Sorunial."  
  
The pale demon sighed with relief and scooted closer to the flames, glad the boss wasn't in an annoyed mood. A scrawny female demon, second only to the brawny leader, spat at him.  
  
"Stop pushin' me, Skalpha!" Her hair was extremely thin, and her brownish scalp was easily seen all over her head. Her eyes were grotesquely large, and her nose consisted of one slit on the left side of her face. There had been another, but it had been blocked by scar tissue inflicted by a weapon of some sort.  
  
Skalpha moved back grudgingly, allowing the important female to scoot closer to the coveted warmth. "It wouldn't kill ya to allow a body a likkle comfort, Dagru," Skalpha muttered to her.  
  
Dagru's hand moved like chain lighting to her dagger. It had been placed securely at her hip, through the strip of animal hide that served as a belt. "One more word oughta you, runt, and I'll send you runnin' to the protection of your insane liddle friend back there," she hissed, gesturing with the notched blade at a figure sitting away from the band, back to them.  
  
Skalpha's throat bobbed nervously as he eyed the blade. He could feel the eyes of the fourteen others sitting around the fire, and the need to be beheld as important took over his better judgment. Puffing up his narrow chest, Skalpha spat onto the rusted blade.  
  
It was a mistake. Dagru's blade flashed in the firelight, and with a yelp Sklapha leapt away from the circle around the fire, his left ear bleeding. He retreated sullenly to sit in the snow, beside the silent figure of a much younger Hiei.  
  
"You just can't help it, can you?" Hiei didn't even look at his friend, eyes scanning the horizon. He usually sat the watch, seeming to not need sleep or warmth. Because of his fire and ice apparition heritage, the later was true.  
  
Skalpha nursed his ear, tearing a bit of his jerkin off to bind the nick Dagru's blade had left. Once the impromptu bandage was in place, Skulpha started hunting the immediate area for a twig to clean his teeth with. "Sorry, Hiei, but I dunno what happens t'me! I just-"  
  
"Get the itch to prove myself and become someone Momsies could be proud of." Hiei recited. The little pale demon used the phrase often enough for Hiei to have memorized it three times over.  
  
Skulpha nodded amiably, and gave a little squeal of delight as his searching fingers found a stick. Breaking off a small length, the simple-minded creature started plucking bits of mutton from between his teeth.  
  
Hiei let out a small sigh. Skulpha had immediately adhered to his side when Hiei had joined the band, the pale demon the lowest of the low. Needing a friend, Hiei had actually grown accustomed to the simpleton.  
  
"So, you've never seen the festival at Kaere Sorunial, have ya?" Skulpha's ears waggled as he posed his question, pausing in his cleaning ritual.  
  
"No." Hiei kept his answers short. He shifted position even so slightly, and glanced sidelong at the little creature. "Though, I hear it's quite the event."  
  
The little demon nodded sagely, flicking another bit of mutton sinew from his teeth. "It only rolls around during the year of the people's god, JuRisunoe."  
  
Hiei's curiosity kept him talking. "The god of Dance? Weaklings."  
  
Skulpha chuckled, reminding Hiei of some small rodent pleased with a nibble of stolen cheese. "That what everyone thinks, 'till they meets one. Sorunials is downright nasty. They wean children from their mommies by tyin' thems up, and after the kicken' and the wailin' stops, theys gives 'em meat to eat."  
  
Hiei quickly steered the topic away from weaning and mothers. "And the sacrificial festival...?"  
  
Skulpha closed his eyes, as if savoring some remembered taste on his pale pink tongue. "'Tis a delight fer the senses, 'ole matey. I'll be rememberin' it forever, though I was only there once afore. They serves the bestest foods and the sweetest drinks, pale ale and nutbeer and wine aged twelve seasons! And den the women of the Sorunials start the dancin' and theys so beeeutiful!"  
  
"Sounds like any other festival I've ever heard of." Hiei commented. "Where does the sacrificial part come in?"  
  
Skulpha tossed the twig away into the darkness. "'Tis when the finest of all the dancers does the Red Heel ceremony. 'Tis a tribute to their god, ifn' you'll have it. It's beeutiful t'watch, but then again, 'tis waste of good womenflesh."  
  
"Do they kill the woman?"  
  
"O' course! Horrifically at that! Either arrers or starvation, take yer pick." Skulpha clapped his hands in his simple delight. Hiei frowned, and sighed.  
  
Of course Hiei had grown accustomed to pain and suffering, toiling hard over the start of his life in an effort to stay alive. But in doing that, he had learned the importance in having a group. Going without one had been the worst experience he could have imagined. What he couldn't understand was why a group would single out and torture one of their own.  
  
"The Red Heel ceremony," Hiei said slowly. "Tell me about that."  
  
Skulpha liked having information Hiei didn't. The slow demon tapped the side of his thin nose and winked. "Oh, Hiei, you'll like that. I'll let ya find that 'un out by y'self."  
  
The leader of the bandit's prediction had been correct. When the sun's harsh rays hit the horizon, the group saw the steep cliffs of Ice World rising up with a cold magnificence that made all that witnessed them shudder. Steep icy slopes rose up in front of them, but the object of the band's attention was the small dale nestled underneath the awe-inspiring sight.  
  
It was a small village lodged between two jutting cliffs. Greenery was sparse, and most of it had browned already with the oncoming winter. But the buildings were all colored a whiteish blue, blending perfectly with the backdrop. In fact, unless one had an idea where to look, the village of Kaere Sorunial couldn't be found.  
  
It had been there since the dawning of time. The people there were always tall, and willowy in build. Gifted with an unearthly grace, everything they did was a celebration of movement and life in every aspect. Sorunials walked in time to a silent tempo, laughed and talked as if to an undertone of music. Even their fighting style, ferocious as it was, could be mistaken for a dance.  
  
Hiei didn't see it at first, but the closer they marched the more detail he took in. His sharp vision provided him with an idea of the people and place he was about to see.  
  
The leader of the band, named Fulken, visited the village every twenty seasons, or every five years. His arrival was almost the sign that the Sacrificial Festival was coming. The band members, at most, hand seen the festival thrice, having ran with Fulken for fifteen tears. The demon leader was getting older; he had come to Kaere Sorunial eight times in his life.  
  
The village had a medium-sized wall running around its base, a few yards above a tall man's head. This was also a safety precaution; the land around the base of Ice World was a haven for thieves and robbers, all presenting a different kind of danger.  
  
But seeing as Fulken was well known to most of the people in the village, he and his band were always welcome. Indeed, the elder of the village stood on the wall walk, head just visible over the white-blue mottled wall.  
  
Fulken had the band, as always, traveling at a well-paced lope. As the elder raised a hand in greeting, Fulken made a guttural noise in the back of his throat. This was a well known signal among the bandits, and they slowed to a brusque jog until they reached the base of the wall.  
  
Years had taken their toll on the wall. It was wind lashed and weather-beaten. Along its length, a few scours and scorch marks told the tale of passing robbers and marauders. The most curious feature of the wall, however, was the dull red footprints marking the base of the wall. They had been lightly coated with a whiter paint for camouflage, but were plainly visible close-up. Forming three rows, they were closely laid together and impeccably printed, not a one smudged.  
  
Skulpha nudged Hiei, who was standing next to him. "Those be from the Red Heel ceremony. It's after-" He was silenced by Dagru, who glared menacingly at the flop-eared demon. Fulken had started to speak to the elder.  
  
"Elder Rejurou, many years may y'lead on!" Fulken's raspy voice was courteous and charming, as the leader bandit could be when he wanted to.  
  
The elder bowed, head disappearing briefly behind the wall before coming back into view. "Leader Fulken, many years may you lead on. I welcome you to my village. Please, climb the ropes and join us for the festivities tomorrow evening!"  
  
At a casual wave of the elder Rejurou, three long, firmly twisted ropes were let down. Fulken jerked his head to Dagru and another strong demon called Nuhakuju, and the three scaled the ropes first. Then, the rest of the band made their way up behind them.  
  
Hiei wasn't overly impressed with the village scene that greeted his eyes as he came to rest lightly on the wall walk. The buildings were plain, so that the camouflage would be effective. The people were dressed in dark blues, grays and the occasional deep purple.  
  
But the reason for why a god of dance would be worshiped was immediately noticeable. They floated as they walked, and the low murmur of voices carried a musical lilt.  
  
Fulken was a guest of honor, but his band didn't have the same privileges as their leader. Dagru fumed silently as she and her mate Fulken were separated into two different sleeping quarters, but there was no room for negation. While Fulken was invited to the guest room of the elder's own home, the band was shown to a small, low-to-the-ground structure that ancient in age and rather sloppily made. It was thatched patchily, and a pane of glass was cracked badly on the window next to the poorly fitted door.  
  
Despite its rundown state, the building was many times better than much of what the bandits had seen. A roof over their heads was a rare occasion, and for once Hiei was relieved to not have to sit half the night struggling to keep his eyes open on watch duty. The building was dark, but a large fireplace provided sufficent light and warmth to make it comfortable.  
  
Skulpha immeadiatly went hunting in the small indoor woodpile for a twig to clean his teeth with, leaving Hiei to sit away from the others around the fireplace. The young demon was studying the inclosure raptly, noting every detail with his roving eyes. A small rack of odd weapons on one side, a window by the corner, and a bare wall met the scrutiny of his gaze. A small door caught his attention in one corner.  
  
It was about half the size of a normal door, and the type of lock on it indicated it couldn't be opened from the inside. But what really caught Hiei's attention was the dull red footprint on the lower right hand corner, the paint cracked and peeling with age, but otherwise identical to those on the wall.  
  
Acting quite uninterested, Hiei slowly moved towards the door. Once he was leaning next to it, he carefully put his ear to the rough wood above the door. Ever so softly, he thought he heard the snatches of a mournful tune. Before his ear could really catch much more than a muted hum, a commotion near the fireplace made him forget the door and the singing.  
  
Apparently Skulpha had accidentally trod on Nuhakuju's footpad after finding just the right twig. The bigger, meaner demon had swiped a claw at Skulpha, scratching him across the shoulder and neck. The pale demon must of felt the itch to prove himself, because Skulpha had tried to give Nuhakuju a return punch.  
  
Nuhakuju had caught Skulpha's punch in his razor-sharp claws, making blood run down Skulpha's arm from the gashes they made. The bigger demon then latched his claws around Skulpha's neck, and crushed the pale demon's windpipe in one clench.  
  
Hiei watched, horrified, as Nuhakuju released the dead Skulpha onto the floor and returned to the semi-circle around the fireplace. Dagru patted the big demon's shoulder in a sign of approval. "That runt had it coming a long time. Finally, he'll stop his jabbering and stoopid questions."  
  
Hiei's heart seemed to have frozen, and his eyes were glued to the twig, rolling limply from between Skulpha's still-twitching fingers. A glazed look was already coating the flop-eared demon's eyes. Hiei felt tears welling in his own, and a scream of despair and grief ripped unheeded from his throat. "NO!"  
  
With the speed of a madman, Hiei was to the weapon's rack and then darting towards Nuhakuju while unsheathing the random weapon he had snatched, a katana. The bigger demon had barely time to fight back before Hiei was upon him, dispatching him with a fury-driven thrust.  
  
The remaining members of the band stared at him, caught between respect and disbelief. This young, quiet demon, among the lowest in the ranks of the demon bandits, had just speared the third most important in their band!  
  
Fulken's eyes narrowed, and the elder of the village surveyed the small smudge of blood that stained the stone flagstones that made up the floor of the old building. After Hiei had killed Nuhakuju, Dagru had ordered the others to take his weapon and hold him while she fetched Fulken and Rejurou the elder.  
  
"Well, Hiei, I didn't think Skulpha would die an' ever be avenged. And I also didn't think y'had it in ya." Fulken looked at Hiei, a small shine of pride and respect flaring in his mud-brown eyes. "But still, killin' any member of me band requires a punishment."  
  
It was obvious that both Fulken and Rejurou were drunk, and in merry spirits. The threat of a punishment wasn't at all frightening to Hiei, but his eyes darted to the dull red footprint marking the corner of the little door in the back of the room. Rejurou must of seen, because he began to cackle, his mirth shaking his frail body, and sending the reek of alcohol into the air.  
  
"Fulken, matey, I have an idea. Your young master slayer here can spend a night with the sacrifice!"  
  
Hiei felt his entire body tense. The singing behind the door must of been the sacrifice! The two demons on either side of him noticed his reaction and mistook his sudden understanding as fear.  
  
"Aw, lookit liddle Hiei, scared of a night wi' a woman!" The demon to his left sneered.  
  
"Wot else didja excpet?" The right hand demon chuckled. The elder and the leader of the band found this uproariously funny, and started slapping one another on the back, and wiping tears from his eyes.  
  
"He can kill a man, but 'e can't spend a night wi' a woman!" Fulken howled. Hiei tried to keep his face dispassionate, but the distaste and anger he felt at their insinuation broiled in his heart. Overall, spending time in a little room for just a night was a ridiculously silly punishment, but Hiei felt dirty just thinking about what the other demons excepted him to do.  
  
"And once your little warrior survives his night, I'll gift him with the katana he killed with. He'll have earned it, then!" Rejurou announced grandly. Hiei frowned ever so slightly, and Fulken noticed.  
  
"Thank the elder for his kindness!" Fulken barked. "C'mon, runt! Er..Hiei!"  
  
With the two daggers his captors held tickling his sides, Hiei bowed his head jerkily. "T-Thank you."  
  
"Okay, put the demon killer in!" Rejurou roared merrily. The other demons cheered, and they dragged Hiei towards the door. The elder undid the lock, and heaved the small door open. It was surprisingly thick, perhaps a foot in width, as was the rest of the walls. Hiei got one good squirm in before he was shoved bodily into the doorway. He had to jump backwards in order to not be slammed by the door as it slammed shut.  
  
Breathing hard, Hiei heard the distant noises of the demons on the other side, until all disappeared. Hiei guessed all of them were out to get as equally drunk as the leaders were.  
  
Resigned to his fate, Hiei noted that there was a torch light in the room, which he was surprised to find as large as the room he had come from. And in the back corner of the enclosure, was a girl.

* * *

End Chapter  
  
Authoress here.  
  
Goodness, when a girl loses Writer's Block, she really loses it! Now review and I shall start the next chapter! 


	3. Facing the Reality

Authoress here.  
  
Yeah, so anyways, I found out that between the businesses of this week, I have time to type. One might say it's soothing, to have the familiar clickity-clack of keys beneath one's fingers. Of course, school will start, as will the hours plus of homework every night, and my stories will have to be written more slowly than what I am used to. For right now I just say foo.  
  
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!  
  
**JewelValentine**- Y'know, that would be funny, but sadly, I don't have any ideas to work that into the story without rambling on for at least an additional five chapters.  
  
**LadyKatsu**- YAY!! Reviews! Thank you! Y'see, this here LadyKatsu is like super-writer and produces two chapters to my one, and hers are beautifully written. I totally endorse her stories, especially her newest one in the Sayuki (sp?) category.  
  
**Shessa's Crazy-** Yep, this here's the last story. But like I said in the last chapter, I'll end up writing an epilogue and crying once I finish it.  
  
Onto the chappie!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story  
Chapter Three**  
  
Hiei locked stares with the black eyes of the girl. Her face was pale, and her hair sable in color. The contrast was sharp, and made her skin look all the whiter. Her eyes were round with a type of expectant fear, and they seemed like twin pools of never-ending sorrow.  
  
She was slender, but surprisingly short, especially after the other people Hiei had seen. In fact, she looked to be shorter than himself!  
  
She backed herself more into the corner, if possible, staring at him with that mix of fear and anger on her face and deep in her eyes. Hiei stood, slowly, and spread his hands apart in an unspoken gesture of peace.  
  
"What do you want?" The girl's voice also surprised Hiei. Unlike the others he had heard speaking, her voice didn't carry the musical quality, nor the evenness of speaking to an unheard tempo. It wasn't as if her voice was unpleasant, just so different than the expectations Hiei had.  
  
"I don't want anything." Hiei answered, his own voice wavering. He was disgusted with himself for showing any sign of emotion.  
  
"Than what are you doing here?!" Her voice was accusing.  
  
"Being punished, I suppose." Hiei replied. His tone suited him better now; flat and devoid of the despair aching inside of him. Even with his voice unrevealing as possible, her brows drew together, and concern flickered in those bottomless eyes.  
  
"For what?"  
  
Hiei scowled. "Listen, wench, I don't need to answer your questions."  
  
"Well, why not?" Her face was resolute, and she crossed equally pale arms across her chest.  
  
"Because!" Hiei snapped. "I just don't. You stay there, I'll stay here, and in the morning I'll leave."  
  
"It wouldn't hurt you just to tell me." Her words were so soft Hiei barely caught them. "Because tomorrow night I won't be alive to tell them to anyone else."  
  
The reality of her statement stung Hiei like a slap. He opened his mouth with a retort, but anything he could think of to say was forgotten as a single tear ran down her face and dropped from her chin. It fell to the stone-flagged floor with a ping! and Hiei saw in wonder her tear had solidified into a perfectly round pearl.  
  
"Y-You're an-" Hiei sputtered. She cut him off.  
  
"And Ice apparition? Yes, I am." The girl picked up the pearl, and regarded it bitterly. "Abandoned on accident sixteen years ago on the lower cliffs of my true homeland, where a widow Suronial found me and claimed I was her own. If only she had told me the truth sooner."  
  
Hiei frowned slightly, still confused. "I don't understand. How were you abandoned?"  
  
Stubbornness came over her posture, and she raised her chin slightly in defiance. "If you can't even give me the pleasure of a final conversation, why should I answer your questions?"  
  
Hiei sighed, internally arguing with himself. A part of him screamed that if he got at all close to this girl, his heart would suffer, just like when Skulpha died. But another voice, stronger than the first, reasoned that if she were to die, a final talk with a fellow apparition would be the kindest thing he could do.  
  
"Fine." Hiei allowed, the second voice winning the internal conflict. "I'm a member of a group of bandits. You probably know about Fulken, leader of the band."  
  
At his name, her face showed a tangle of emotions. Memories both happy and sad shadowed her face, and she nodded slowly, as if not trusting herself to speak.  
  
"I joined maybe four years ago, and I started out as the lowest of all of us. Only one demon befriended me, a mutt named Skulpha." Hiei felt his throat constrict slightly at the mention of his dead companion's name, but forced himself to continue. "He mainly came to me for protection against the others, who bullied him constantly. I guess I grew used to him.  
"Just today, we entered Kaere Suronial, and were sent to this building to sleep. Skulpha had almost a fanatical habit of cleaning his teeth. I believe his mother was very important to him, and that was something she made him do. He was finding a twig to do the task when he must of hassled a larger member of the band. They fought.  
"Nuhakuju, the other demon, ended up crushing Skulpha's windpipe. I saw him die, and madness overtook me. I killed Nuhakuju in return."  
  
Hiei had no idea why he felt he must poor his soul to his silent face in the shadows, or why it was so easy to keep talking. But the constant stream of words eased his pain, and he kept them coming until his story finished.  
  
The girl regarded him unblinkingly. "What is your name?"  
  
"Hiei."  
  
"Then, Hiei, I'm sorry." The girl murmured. She glanced up sharply to study him hard. "My name was Sablae. Or, at least that's what my foster mother called me. Just recently I found out my true name is..Ankara."  
  
At Hiei's confused glance, she continued. "My foster mother was a widow when she climbed up the cliffs of Ice World. She refused to tell me how she found me, but from what she said I guess she stole me and called me her own child. She told me that my entire life, until now."  
  
Hiei shifted into a more comfortable position. "What made her tell you?"  
  
Ankara gave a sad little smile. "You see, all my life I was different. I stopped growing long before the others my age did. I was a clumsy child; everyone else could float on air. I couldn't sing a note without going horribly flat; all the others could harmonize and blend as if only one was singing."  
  
Hiei studied Ankara's face intently while she finished her tale. A faint smile came to her eyes and voice as she spoke about the hours she spent watching the others dance, listening to music, finding the rhythm, finding her grace. As she told of her foster mother's joy in her achievements, some of that pride was mirrored in Ankara's eyes.  
And when Ankara came to the end of her story, where the elders told her foster mother her daughter was to dance as the Sacrifice, a blunted pain and shame, fleet as it was, forced tears to her eyes again.  
  
"My foster mother was devestated, but couldn't change anyone's mind. She came and told me everything the night before I myself was told the news. That was when I was taken and put in here, only six days ago, by my reckoning."  
  
Now, Ankara both physically and emotionally collapsed, throwing her hands to her face and sobbing, littering the ground around her knees with pearls. Hiei quickly stood up, and walked over to her.  
  
Kneeling beside her, Hiei placed a hand on her shoulder and kept it there until she had cried herself out.  
  
"Are you scared?" Hiei ventured to ask.  
  
"No." Ankara's voice was bleak, but pride kept the untrue answer spilling from her lips.  
  
Hiei gingerly patted her back. "It's...okay to be scared, I guess."  
  
"You guess?" Ankara's cheeks and nose had gone pink from the tears.  
  
"Yes, I guess." Hiei said sharply. "I'm- I've- argh, I'm not good at comforting people. If I knew how I would do it, okay?!"  
  
Ankara regaurded him in a matter-of-fact way, her eyes boring holes into his soul, making him want to look away. "I know how you can."  
  
Hiei's eyes asked the unsaid question, and she stood, proving him right about her height. Her head was level with his eyes, forcing him to look down to be eye to eye. Hiei gulped, nervously, hoping she didn't want him to...do things.  
  
"Be in the crowd tomorrow." Ankara whispered sadly. "Somewhere were I can see you. So I know there are decent people left in the worlds."  
  
Hiei moved as if his body were in control of itself, ignoring his mind and better judgment. His arms were around her, clutching her to him a little too tightly, taking the embodiment of his own pain close, trying to salve her hurts as well as his own. Ankara started crying again, though she never let another tear fall.  
  
As if making a conscious recognition of his actions, Hiei let go quickly, and moved back a pace or two. He settled back down on the stone floor, crossing his arms across his chest resolutely. Ankara mirrored him, falling silently into a crouch before sitting quietly feet away from him.  
  
"So, what exactly happens in the Red Heel ceremony?" Hiei asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.  
  
Ankara didn't burst back into tears at the statement, confirming her own strength as well as his question in her answer. "It is the most scared event of our culture. Of the Sorunial culture. Our god, whom of which I am not worthy to speak of, keeps us safe, but for an awesome price.  
  
"Every twenty seasons, every twenty cycles of the moon, or every five years, our god has need of another dancer to grace his court in the sky among the stars. As his only loyal children, blessed with his movement and supreme grace, we must pay the ultimate price and send our best to his courts, to keep him in high spirits and also to thank him for the safety he has provided our village."  
  
Ankara sounded as if she was reciting. Hiei nodded, and asked another question. "What exactly happens in the ceremony?"  
  
"The dancer will have both of their heels painted in red, the sacrificial color of blood, just before the ceremony begins. Then, the dancer is carried to the Circle of Six. The Circle of Six is named for the six archers who shall stand with bows at the ready, lest the dancer lets one heel touch the ground." Ankara explained, monotone. "The sacrifice will sing a song, telling of their spirit to ready the god for his newest dancer. A dance will mirror their words, telling our god of the new arrival's skill."  
  
"So, they will shoot you if you touch your heels to the ground?!" Hiei asked, horrified.  
  
Ankara gave a grim smile. "If only it was that. No, only one archer will fire, striking the thigh, calf or foot. Every time the red heels touch the ground, another arrow shall be fired until the dancer has been shot through the heart."  
  
It took Hiei a moment to absorb this piece of cold-blooded information. A hope came to his mind, and he pursued it. "And if you don't let your heels touch the ground...?"  
  
"If I manage it," Ankara whispered, referring to herself as the sacrifice for the first time, "then I'll be brought back to this room. I will be starved until my spirit flees for the courts of our god."  
  
"But he isn't your god!" Hiei sputtered, amazed and nettled at the horrific show of cruelty the sacrifices must face. "You don't have to do this!"  
  
"Yes I do!" Ankara shouted back, her voice rising high with a mix of anger and pain. "Do you think I wouldn't think of that?! Do you really think I wouldn't try everything to get out of doing this?! If I refuse, I'll be forced to cut off my own feet for disgracing the god, and no one will be allowed to help me tend my wounds, on penalty of the same fate. I will bleed to death, alone and miserable, without a shred of honor! I cannot run away, I have no ware to run!"  
  
Ankara stood up abruptly, and ran back to the corner she had started in. Hiei noticed suddenly that it was the farthest she could get from the little door in the opposite wall. He also saw how Ankara looked like a terrified, cornered animal.  
  
They didn't speak for a long time. Ankara was huddled against the wall, face covered and her back to Hiei. He was staring pensively at the ceiling, feeling increasingly nervous about being so long in an enclosed space. When a knock came on the door, they both started. The lock slid back, and Hiei stood to leave.  
  
He stopped, and stared at the ground. He spoke, so quietly Ankara had to strain to hear him. "You will see me in the crowd, Ankara."  
  
The door opened, and Hiei crawled out, heartsick and dreading the night.

* * *

Authoress here.  
  
I went deep into the vaults on this one. The idea my Ankara-based-off-of friend and I made together was a loooooong time ago, and the details are quite fuzzy. So, I put on a little depressing music and dug deep into my gruesome punishment crap...  
  
I' m gonna get a little sleep. Goodnight!  
  



	4. The Pain of the Dance

Authoress here.  
  
NO!!! THE PRECIOUS!! IT'S LOSTED!! Anyways...I temporarily have misplaced my handy-dandy wrist brace, which I fear will slow me down greatly. Plus school. Plus homework. Plus general laziness. Foo.  
  
So, apologies on this here story, I think it'll take awhile longer to complete than the others.  
  
One more thing about this particular chapter. I just finished King Kelson's Bride, the final novel of King Kelson, written by my hero, Katherine Kurtz. Her style of writing and many things she writes about, for example, courts and wenches, and weddings and the seductions of silly serving maids are still firmly lodged in my brain. There will be a whole lotta temptation for your liddle Hiei in this chappie, and I beg you to go with my flow on it. Kapiesh? Thankies.  
  
But, without further ado, I shall starteth the tale. But damn!- my wrist already hurts!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles:  
Ankara's Story Chapter four**  
  
A cruel wind had picked up over the course of the day, and by the time dusk started to creep onward, it was terribly cold outside the warm confines of fireplace-heated buildings.  
  
That didn't stop the festivities. Music poured from every corner of the village, and lanterns hung gaily from the buildings and wires set up for their use. A large bonfire was burning in the town square, and hot mead and fine damson wine was flowing easily. Steppe sheep, fat, woolly creatures found along the lower cliffs of Ice Word, had been fattened to the slaughter, and the delicious meat was every ware.  
  
The bandits were enjoying the festival greatly, slogging down as much wine and mutton as the villagers. The twelve males that made up the majority of the band, were pinching and flirting with the many young wenches running around. All had fair hair, locks so light they shimmered with a white resonance.  
  
Hiei had a wooden goblet in one hand. The hot, mulled mead inside shimmered with heat, and Hiei held it close to his chin. As he had fire apparition blood running in his veins, he didn't need external heat to sustain him, but the steam rising from the mead felt good all the same.  
  
He took another hearty swig, gulping down the fiery stuff quickly. The drink was rising to his head, nursing his worries, if not making them disappear altogether. The Red Heel ceremony was to take place when the moon was highest in the sky, around eleven o' clock, and Hiei wasn't sure he wanted to be sober for the event.  
  
A particularly lovely wench caught sight of Hiei, alone by the wall of a ramshackle building. With a flirtatious giggle, she batted her lashes and leaned close to him. The damson wine was sweet on her breath, if not a little overpowering. She wore only a thinly laced-up shift and bodice, and her impressive chest was partially visible to Hiei. She leaned even further, making the view even more tempting.  
  
"Not many dark handsomes come through here," she whispered, _sotto vocce_. Her voice was akin to the treble of a flute, high and keening in a beautiful pattern. "I should like to meet your acquaintance further."  
  
Hiei took another shallow sip of the mead, his eyes never leaving the big blue ones of the lass. She was very pretty, Hiei had to admit, and a flush seared through him as she moved so her chest was being pushed into his. He absentmindedly rubbed his free hand on her long, blonde-white hair, while she giggled and mimicked his movements. Her nimble fingers brushed through his hair, sending electric tingles up and down his spine.  
  
He knew where the night could lead, straight to some secluded corner with this fine piece of flesh beneath him. The thought quickened his loins in anticipation. There were three hours before the ceremony; he and this pretty wench could make good the time.  
  
The ceremony. The moment he though about it, Ankara's dark eyes and the look of despair that lurked in them flashed before his vision. Guilt flooding his heart, he gripped the girl's shoulder and shoved her away sputtering indignantly.  
  
"What's wrong with you?!" She demanded hotly. "Afraid I'll be too rough with you?"  
  
When he didn't answer, averting his face, she giggled again. "No need to worry, stranger. I'll lead you until you can take over." She gripped his chin in a surprisingly tight grip, and placed her lips over his in a slightly drunken embrace. The wench's entire body, made up of softly blown out curves, was pushed up to his, smashing them together, both hard and soft all at once. Her free hand wiggled between them, and he felt her fingers brush his inner thigh suggestively.  
  
He gasped as a carnal surge made his entire being stiffen. Her mouth lifted off of his, and she took his free hand and directed it to her bosom. Unabashedly, she forced his palm under her shift and bodice to cup her chest.  
  
An embarrassed anger pushed away any feelings of lust. He really shoved her away now, sloshing his rapidly cooling mead over the both of them in the effort. She fell to the ground.  
  
"You're hurting me!" She pouted, holding her bruising shoulder. "Why did you do that?!"  
  
"You should of left when I told you the first time." Came Hiei's sullen answer.  
  
The wench's frown deepened. "I thought you liked it."  
  
Hiei scowled fiercely. "You were wrong. Go and whore on someone else."  
  
As her lips parted in indignation, Hiei tossed his goblet away and turned. With a few agile leaps, he was up on the roof of the building  
  
At his vantage point, he could see the golden-haired wench following his suggestion. A male member of Hiei tribe was slurpily embracing her, chastity forgotten. Apparently, the pair was forgetting they were in the middle of public as well. When they did remember, they slipped off into the shadows. Although they were hidden from view, Hiei's sharp ears could detect the further evidence of the activities the two were indulging in.  
  
Hiei brought his eyes up from were they had disappeared like so many other impromptu couples. Eyes scanning the starry sky, he did have to wonder. What was wrong with him? It could of been him down there right now, finding out secrets he had never known before. Before he had thought of Ankara, he had been very eager.  
  
Ankara. The thought of her name snapped his mind in an entirely different direction. How alone and scared she must be. She was basically sentenced to die in less than three hours, and had no one to comfort her.  
  
Hiei stood, and leapt from his rooftop to another. Following the narrow roads beneath him, Hiei made his way to were Ankara's building was. He dropped down to earth silently, and tried to door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked.  
  
Instead, Hiei went around the side of the building, and sat with his back to the wall. He willed Ankara to feel his presence on the other side and be comforted. It was all he could do for her now.  
  
Hiei leaned his head back and closed his eyes. _Or was it?_  
  
_Two hours later_  
  
The roar of a crowd jerked Hiei from an uneasy sleep. Acting quickly, he was up on the top of the roof, lying along his stomach to covertly view the activity going on beneath him.  
  
The leader and Fulken were at the head of what looked to be the entire village. The old man pulled out a key from his deep blue cloak, and opening the door, went inside. Six men followed, and moments later they came out. Hiei caught his breath, heartsick at what he saw.  
  
Ankara was being carried on a sort of litter by the six burly fellows. Instead of the simple dark blue shift she had worn earlier, Ankara was clad in a sleeveless white garment that went slightly past her stomach. Around her waist was tied countless ragged strips of cloth, making a sort of skirt. All were varied in length, but none went past her knees.  
  
The thick red paint Hiei had seen on the wall and on the door was painted onto her revealed skin. Strange patterns shone black against the pale white of her arms, curling and writhing around her forearms all the way up her shoulders. Her neck followed the pattern, and it continued to her jaw line.  
  
Her face was painted as well. Across her cheeks was two horizontal lines, and a strange design was painted off-center on her forehead. Her hair was loose, but clearly it had been carefully washed and combed for the event.  
  
But the most horrific part was the red paint trailing haphazardly down her legs. It had been allowed to drip down from her knees, going were it willed. At her ankles the drip-paint stopped, and then her heels were completely coated.  
  
Hiei watched, heart-stricken, as the mob followed the litter. Jumping down to follow at the end of the crowd, Hiei traveled along with the villagers up a steep incline. At the summit was a perfect circle, marked with torches.  
  
It wasn't as big as Hiei had imagined it. The six archers turned out to be the men who had carried the litter, and once they set it down, they took their positions. Placed equally around the circle, they all took off their shirts, exposing their bare torsos to the fridged air. They too had been painted in the red, but the symbol was a footprint impaled on a black-paint arrow.  
  
With horrified fascination, Hiei saw three men go to stand a few yards behind three of the archers. These new arrivals held large drums, and they too were bare to the waist, and intricately painted.  
  
Three more men followed, folding wooden flutes. The flutes had two bells, and only one had the holes bored to make the different notes. As one note held steady, the musician played and changed the second.  
  
On the far side of the circle was a wooden platform, holding more torches that lit up the scene as bright as day. The leader stepped up onto the platform, beaming. He had two painted lines on his face, vertical, right next to one another on the left cheek. He surveyed the crowd huddling close behind the drummers and flute players.  
  
"People loyal to the God of Dance and Movement, this is the finest hour. According to ancient ritual, we now thank the mother."  
  
Hiei watched as a graying woman was raised above the crown, sitting on the shoulders of two men. She had a design on her face as well; a red teardrop under her left eye.  
  
The leader looked at her gravely. "_Ariss to dou nash_, we thank you for your gift."  
  
The crowd murmured his response, and the woman started rocking back and forth, crying a little. Hiei saw in disgust the look of pride and self-adoration mirrored in her eyes.  
  
The leader continued. "A mother so tenderly raises her child, nurturing it and keeping it safe. Every mother does this, but we honor this mother tonight. She alone has nurtured her child best, to follow the way of the dance that leads on the life we have. _Ariss to dou nash_."  
  
Now the woman was preening under the attention as the crowd reverently murmured the response again. As the men lowered her gently down, hands were raised to help. Some people around her simply wanted to touch her, get her blessing. Hiei felt dirty just for looking at the woman.  
  
Instead, Hiei glanced at Ankara, still lying flat on her litter. Tears poured silently down her cheeks, and she stared straight upwards. Hiei noticed her fingers clenching and unclenching against the torrent of pain Hiei knew she must be feeling at her mother's betrayal.  
  
"And now;" the leader finished. "Let our Sacrifice present itself to our God, to whom I am not worthy to speak. Let us pray that the Sacrifice will be found pleasing."  
  
Hiei was still getting over the reference to Ankara as "it," figuring it was some sort of custom as well. His attention was quickly divided as the litter was thrust upwards quickly by willing hands of the villagers, and Ankara stumbled into the circle. Her heels were aloft as she stood securely on the ball of her feet.  
  
The drums began to pound. _Da-daum, da-daum, da-daum._ Ankara looked down, and raised her hands in the air. As she dropped them, the flutes began to keen softly, and the drums quieted down, though still pounding relentlessly.  
  
Hiei forgot everything else as Ankara began to dance. Her movements were not as graceful as those he had seen earlier in the evening, but there was something clearly different. Her hands, arms, torso and legs made impossible contortions one moment and then fluid lines the next, and Ankara seemed to not heed the laws of gravity as she floated jerkily around the circle, a contradiction in and of herself.  
  
And when she started to sing, Hiei almost lost himself.  
  
Her voice wasn't pleasant to listen to at first. She didn't seem to work well with the flutes, and her voice was out of rhythm with the drums. But after a moment, Hiei realized it was the fact she was so acutely different that made the elder's choice a perfect one. Once he got over her voice, the words she started to sing flattened him again.  
  
_"Often afraid, always wary and aware of my fate,  
I lie still, wondering if what is here is real.  
  
Even though I'm the Sacrifice, You won't notice me as my own,  
Even if I were to cry,  
Suddenly I know..  
  
Don't try to tell me no one cries inside,  
No one,  
would trade for me,  
slave for me,  
grieve for me,  
Seethe for me.  
  
Even though I'm the Sacrifice,  
you won't cry for me While I die for thee Even though I'm the Sacrifice,  
Suddenly I know..."  
_  
Her movements started to reflect her voice perfectly, and her voice was intoxicatingly low. The drums kept pounding, and the archers kept their bows trained on her. Hiei could hear the strain of the wood and twisted sinew.  
  
And then it happened. In the middle of her fifth stanza, she stumbled. In a flash, her heel touched the ground and a single bow sang. A dull, sickening thud seemed to echo around the crowd. And arrow protruded from the fleshy part of her calf.  
  
Somehow she kept dancing. Her steps remained sure, only now she favored one leg slightly. As he watched the blood rip down her calf, Hiei suddenly realized why the red paint was allowed to run without pattern on her legs. It was symbolizing the blood that would soon do the same.  
  
She kept singing, an obvious shake to her voice now.  
  
_"T-Tossed into fear,  
Blinded by tears,  
Suddenly I know,  
these are the things,  
I've c-come to show  
  
For even though I'm the Sacrifice, I can't h-hide,  
Amidst the music and the dancing,  
A hollow hurt d-deepens, stride by stride Even though I'm the Sacrifice,  
Suddenly I know.."  
_  
The second falter was the fault of the first. Ankara slipped in the blood her first wound had created, and both of her feet were planted squarely to keep herself from falling. Two archers loosed their arrows, one for each heel. One arrow found home in her right thigh, but the other was poorly shot. It grazed the top of her foot, creating a gash, before clattering harmlessly out of the circle.  
  
Hiei pushed foreword, eliciting some angry exclamations from those he pushed aside. He made his way to the front ring of villagers, and allowed none to move him. He sent his support, and to his wonder, his deep affection to her, willing her to feel it.  
  
Their eyes connected. Ankara, standing motionless except for the quivering the pain induced, took a deep, shaky breath, and held her chin higher. Feeling the emotion Hiei's eyes expressed, she found the drive to keep going. Her feet lifted from the ground onto her toes, and soon she was flying around again in the eerie dance.  
  
But now her song changed. Rising from the low notes she had previously kept to, her voice rose with a scanty shred of hope. The look of fear mingled with determination on her face told Hiei that she might be simply improvising now as she sang.  
  
"_Face, in the crowd,  
Silent but very strong now,  
I can go on,  
seeing what I need to know Eye of a stranger, calling for me to fight,  
Stand up stronger,  
keep on, keep on, for right  
  
Even if I'm the Sacrifice,  
I know, you know I'm real Seeing me as I should be seen,  
Blessings, dear one, Now, forever and between,  
For even if I'm the Sacrifice,  
Suddenly I know..."  
  
_Ankara raised her arms and dropped them and in the same movement slammed her heels into the ground. The drums stopped abruptly, as did the flutes.  
  
The crowd sat, in muted silence. Ankara's legs were bleeding, her dancing only pumping more blood form the gashes. She stood, heaving, staring straight into Hiei's eyes, boring holes into his soul. Unlike the wild, desperate look of before, her eyes conveyed an unearthly feeling of calm.  
  
A single person clapped once, and the crowd went wild with noise. The archers with remaining arrows shot them into the ground around Ankara's feet, and the old leader started chanting loud and fast in the tongue of his people. Sweeping like a veritable wave, the villagers swept in to carry Ankara away, breaking their gaze and leaving Hiei feeling hopeless.  
  
End Chapter 


	5. Heart Over Mind

Authoress here.  
  
Ah, another chapter. Unfortunately, there was yet another long wait in between. For this, will you all raise your fingers and point in the general direction of my school. Thank you, advanced classes.  
  
Just a head's up, as the change was slight and completely over-lookable, I switched the rating from PG to PG-13. There is a lot of violence, and stuff that some people might find gruesome. Just a warning!  
  
Onto the tale!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story  
  
Chapter Five  
**  
Hiei sat pensively in the village's main lodge. People lounged about the wide room, some in front of the huge fireplace, others opting to sit outside the orange circle of light. The murmur of many voices echoed throughout the hall, and it made it hard for the apparition to think.  
  
He choose the furthest spot away from anyone else, hoping the solitude would soothe him. He had cut off a corner of his heavy black over cloak, and was using it to polish the new blade he had been gifted with.  
  
Even set apart from people as he was, snatches of conversation reached his ears.  
  
"-Odd, the song she sang-"  
  
"- Too bad she made it without getting shot in the heart. That's always been my favorite part. But the dance was incredible!-"  
  
"- First time in the last four festivals someone has made it past the Circle of Six-"  
  
Hiei sheathed the weapon and stood quickly, scowling. How he hated these people! With their merciless killing, Ankara was doomed to die. And even after managing to conquer the dancing! The thought hot in his mind, he made his way out of the hall and into the cold wind.  
  
The sun was beginning to paint the eastern sky a dull red, reminding Hiei of the sickly color of the paint streaked over the bodies of the archers. Over Ankara's body.  
  
He turned away, darkness brooding in his heart and clouding his eyes in a dull acceptance. The world was out to rob people of happiness. Living in a community, in a band, in any sort of group was worse than living alone. Alone, you couldn't be hurt by the sins of your fellows.  
  
Another quarter-hour went by as Hiei sat in the snow outside the lodge, gazing into the oncoming sunset. His mind sorted through every possibility of the future until he settled grimly on one. He was leaving the bandits' group. No longer would he suffer on the account of others.  
  
_Half Hour Later_  
  
"Hiei! Runt! Howdja enjoy the festivities?!" Fulcan roared, obviously very drunk. Two pretty women had draped themselves over him. Hiei wondered by Dagrab hadn't chased them away yet, but the probability of her being with some other drunkard was high.  
  
"They were interesting." Hiei said stiffly.  
  
"Weren't they?!" Fulcan grinned tipsily, taking another slurpy sip from his tankard. "So the little bitch managed to make it through the dance, eh? I'll bet you found some little chicken around here before the ceremony that madeja forgit all about her, though."  
  
"I'm leaving the band." Hiei said, ignoring Fulcan's last comment. "I don't see why I should stay."  
  
"Whatever, runt!" Fulcen chuckled merrily. He was too drunk to fully understand what Hiei was saying, but the pretty women on either side of him took precedence over whatever Hiei had to say.  
  
Hiei got up and bowed. Turning quickly on one heel, he stalked back out of the lodge. It was the last time he would ever have to see Fulcen's face ever again, and that single thought lightened Hiei's mental burden immensely.  
  
He traveled light, bringing nothing with him except the katana and a small dagger. He reached the wall quickly, and bade the watchman to drop a rope for him to slide down. The guard was slightly tipsy as well and mindlessly followed orders.  
  
Hiei hurried down it, and started at a light jog, headed away from Kare Sorunial, and away from the memories the three brief days had left for him. The wind was at his back, and it combed gentle, cool fingers of air through his air and across the back of his neck. He felt lighter than he had ever felt, released from the confines of a group, released from the horror the Ceremony had inflicted.  
  
His mind was wiped clean, and Hiei made a silent vow to start new, fresh. He was a good robber! He could become an assassin, a criminal! His name could grow in fame as well on the most-wanted list, and he could live on forever! He could even start his own band, if he felt like it. And maybe one day he could charge Kare Sorunial and burn the accursed place to the ground, and leave only black ashes in memory of the red-painted walls.  
  
His pace moved to a steady lope, and his stride lengthened with every new goal that flitted across his mind. Why stop at Kare Sorunial? Why not set his anger and terror on the world? Why not, just for once, be the top dog?  
  
The sun kept rising, but didn't turn to the merry gold of morning. Instead, it stayed red, and the low clouds that surrounded it were the color of death itself. Hiei had traveled since the day's birth, and now the red sun held steady in the center of the sky, marking midday.  
  
Hiei's breath started to come quick, and his legs begged him to slow down and rest. As he was his own man, he did. He stopped, doubled over, panting but smiling grimly. In Fulcan's control, he would have had to keep up a steady pace like that for another few miles. But Fulcan had no control, not even a finger of power over Hiei now. He was free.  
  
_Ankara isn't free, you lowlife_. A nagging voice in the back of his mind brushed away the shreds of his fantasies._ And here you are, running away like some weakling coward. You've never been able to face the worst. Not in life, and most certainly not in yourself!  
_  
Hiei stared at the ground, unshed tears making the amber eyes over bright. He told himself Ankara wasn't his problem, he had done all he could for the girl, and she had to face her own wretched fate. But another, more insistent part of him argued that she was his problem, and by caring for her even in the slightest portion made her his responsibility.  
  
Hiei's frustrations only grew. Here he was, on the brink of taking over the world, on the edge of possibility, and all he could think about was some doomed wench almost fifty miles away by now. He justified his actions by walking further, telling himself he was doing his best to watch out for himself, and himself alone.  
  
He followed the sun westward, the blaring ball still red in the sky. The color irritated Hiei, who would find himself thinking of the irregular drips of dull red paint weaving their way down Ankara's bare legs, the strange red designs on her face, arms and neck. And the twin red heels that had ruled her destiny, condemning her either way.  
  
_Be a man, Hiei!_ The voice persisted. _You can still change this! You can, and you must!_  
  
"I must?" Hiei murmured aloud. "Really, I must? Why? I have no connections with her..." Doubt was clearly reflected in his voice, and he groaned.  
  
"Fine!" He shouted. "Damn you, fine!" He turned, and started to begin the journey, retreating and following his footsteps, back to the sun.  
  
_Nightfall_  
  
The watchmen paced the wall walk, glancing back inside the walls to the village, where the second day of celebration was taking place. Now, many beautiful Sorunial women danced, painting their own heels in many different colors in imitation of the Ceremony.  
  
Men danced around them, and whenever a woman's heel touched the ground, her dancing partner would laugh and punish her with kisses she couldn't refuse. The ale poured freely, and the music twirled and spun the dancers at a fast tempo.  
  
So intent on the festivities inside, the watchmen didn't notice Hiei creeping silently along the wall. He wasn't quite sure how he would get in, but knew he must find one. He studied the wall, calculated the jump, and went over every possibility he could think of. But any way he came up with was doomed to fail, for the guards weren't that inattentive.  
  
In fact, it was the attentiveness of the guard that offered the way inside. "Oie, you there!"  
  
Hiei looked about wildly, but there was no place to hide. So, he lamely called back. "Send me down a rope?"  
  
"Who do you know inside?" The watchmen called back.  
  
"Uh...Fulcan!" Hiei improvised, "he sent me out early this morning wioth a message for an employer. I need to report to him."  
  
"Alright, then, wait half a moment!" The guard disappeared over the wall for a minute, and returned dropping down the promised rope. Hiei caught it and clambered over, nodding his thanks to the guard, who merrily waved him along.  
  
Hiei traveled quietly, staying out of the way of the festivities, not wanting to be seen by anyone who would recognize him. Luck stayed with him, and aided by the shadows from the dying sun, Hiei managed to get to the building where Ankara had been kept unseen.  
  
He knew the door would be locked, but brought out his small dagger. Working craftily, he picked the easy lock and the door swung inwards. Torches lit the room, illuminating the small door in the far left-hand wall.  
  
Hiei moved quickly to kneel beside it, and soon was working on opening that lock as well. he was successful within a few moments, and soon slipped inside. The sight that greeted his eyes affirmed his return was indeed both wise and necessary.  
  
Set up in the middle of the room was a table, and it was set with the finest and richest foods available. Silver dishes winked merrily in the torchlight, and he could see the pale white wine sparkling in the crystal-cut chalice set out with the meal.  
  
This fine culinary feast was set just out of reach of Ankara, who appeared to be slumped against the farthest wall, somehow chained with her hands above her head. But as Hiei moved closer, he saw in horror that she was not chained as he first had thought.  
  
No, she had two silver-handled daggers thrust through her palms and into the wall behind her, pinning her hands and disallowing her to move. So this was how they starved and despaired the Sacrifices in preparation for their god!  
  
Pale blood had trickled down her arms and dried there, making Ankara seem spectral and death-like. Hiei was momentarily alarmed that maybe she was already dead when he saw her chest move up and down in a steady but labored breath.  
  
He ran to Ankara's side, and gently pulled both daggers out. More blood poured from her wounded hands, but she slumped forewords, freed of her cruel captivity and into Hiei's awaiting arms.  
  
Hiei gently set the unconscious girl on the stone-flagged floor, and pulled off his overcloak. Cutting two long strips of it off, he used the material to bind her palms and stop the blood. The dark red stained the bandages, but it helped.  
  
Seizing the chalice of white wine, Hiei slowly let the drink slide across her lips. The taste revived her, and her eyes fluttered open slowly. "H-H-Hiei?"  
  
"Hello, Ankara. I'm getting you the hell out of here."  
  
"W-What?"  
  
"We're leaving as soon as you eat something."  
  
He helped her into a sitting position, and she stared around dazedly. Hiei selected a chunk of bread and an apple from the fine setting, and handed the bread to her. "Eat."  
  
She slowly began to bring the bread to her mouth, and took a tiny bite. Hiei, who had begun peeling the apple with his dagger, glanced at her and frowned.  
  
"Does it taste alright?"  
  
Ankara nodded, looking slightly frightened. "But I-I'm supposed to starve to death."  
  
Hiei snorted. "Like hell I'm going to let you starve. Now start eating or I'll force feed you."  
  
Ankara timidly started to eat again, growing more and more voracious with each bite until she had devoured the entire thing. Hiei gave her the apple next, and that she ate with relish as well. A few more mouthfuls of wine later, she looked well enough to stand.  
  
"Okay, let's get out of this damned village." Hiei picked her up, setting her gently over one shoulder. "I hope you weren't planning on saying too many goodbyes, 'cause I've got the feeling these idiots won't be too pleased with what I'm doing."  
  
Ankara said nothing, so Hiei crawled through the door and started towards the second leading outside.  
  
Just as he was about to turn the handle, it twisted from the other side and swung in. A guard had apparently come to check on Ankara.  
  
"Damn!" Hiei swore. He drew his sword clumsily with his free hand, and charged the dazed looking guard. The unfortunate man got in one good scream before falling victim to Hiei's blade.  
  
"What's going on over there, Hoshikuo?" Another male voice called, and another man rounded the corner to see his fellow dead at Hiei's feet, and Ankara slung over Hiei's shoulder.  
  
"A stranger's got the Sacrifice!" The man bellowed before Hiei could silence him. "He's got the Sacrifice, and they're getting aw-ungh!" He grunted as Hiei's katana seemed to grow out of his middle before slumping down.  
  
"Damn it!" Hiei yelled. More men, maybe seven, had heard the man's screams and had come to investigate. More followed, and Hiei looked around despairingly. "Damn it!"  
  
Ankara's voice sounded from just behind him. "Hiei please! Put me down, let them have me! You'll escape much easier if I weren't with you!"  
  
"I will not run away!" Hiei growled behind clenched teeth. He had made up his mind. "And there is no way in hell I'll leave you behind!"  
  
His katana caught the torchlight as it swung around in a deadly arc. Another three men fell beneath Hiei's torrent of slashing and hacking, and those now in front of him hesitated, unsure. Their slight pause only made Hiei's job easier.  
  
Blood fountained as the katana found purchase in another man's chest, and next in the gut of the eighth. The steel thudded into the upper thigh of the next man, and he screamed aloud in agony.  
  
Out of no ware an arrow flew, thudding into the ground mere inches away from Hiei's foot. He looked around for its source, but a second shaft came whizzing his way before he could react. Ankara saw it coming, and hurled her weight to one side, causing Hiei to overbalance and the arrow to miss its target.  
  
Hiei scrambled up, hurling Ankara bodily back over his shoulder. he darted forewords, only four more men to oppose him. Behind them was an open stretch of land and then the steep cliffs of Ice World rose majestically into the darkness.  
  
One man saw the gleam of battle lust in Hiei's eyes, and fled. His comrade followed suit. The two remaining stood shaking, knives in their trembling hands.  
  
Hiei ran at them, eyes alight and sword dripping crimson. The two held their ground for the last few seconds before diving out of his way last moment. Hiei started to really run then, hearing the whistles of arrows flying around him. He took a flying leap onto the foot of the icy path, and started to dart upwards.  
  
His breath came in fiery gasps, burning his lungs and making his already tired limbs ache. He kept moving forewords though, as fast as he could push himself.  
  
It seemed like eternity, but the arrows finally started to clatter harmlessly below them, and the angry voices of the pursuers died down. The buildings had shrunk to the size of thumbnails, and the torches gleamed like pinpricks in the blackness of night.  
  
Hiei felt his legs slow, then tremble to a stop. He heard Ankara sobbing with relief, and his knees gave out. He collapsed, and passed swiftly into unconsciousness.

* * *

**End Chapter**  
  
Authoress here.  
  
I'd like to thank my "mom" (who happens to not really be my mother...) for making we wear my wrist brace all day today, because I wrote 75 of this all this evening, and if I had come into it with no support, I woulda DIED.  
  
So, thanks Mommy!  
  



	6. Trusting to Hope

Authoress here.  
  
While dodging your tomatoes, I must exhort you to listen to my pleas for mercy!!! I seriously have had a lot going on, and even if I was going mad with the will to write, I would have been forced to work on reports. Hence the reason for the non-updation. I don't believe updation is a word...Hrm...  
  
If you go to high school, or even middle school, you might know of the TERRORS of History Day. I've gone through it once before, and now I have to do it again. Which leaves me caught in between a rock and a hard place, the rock being my History Day homework and the hard place being my parent's insistence that I attend to my other scholarly pursuits as well...such as studying for Biology? Pfft! Who studies for Biology?!  
  
Now don't glare and tell me it isn't possible for my to be busy twenty-four seven, because I agree. It isn't. But in my designated free-time, I do things like Drill team, JETs, 4-H (w00t to 4-H!) and HOMECOMING!  
  
But I'm back, and I'm finished rambling. Isn't life good?!

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles 5: Ankara's Story  
  
Chapter 6  
**  
Hiei woke up, slowly, blinking his eyes rapidly against the ice building on his eyelashes. His head felt warm, and amid the numb feeling of shock, he felt a hand on his forehead.  
  
His eyes struggled to focus on the face floating directly in his line of vision. He blinked again, and Ankara's worried face came into focus.  
  
"Hiei?"  
  
"Ung." Hiei groaned in response. He shifted, and his cheek touched pale, cool skin. His head was resting in Ankara's lap, and her red-painted thighs had been a pillow for him while he had lain unconscious. He tried to get up quickly, and found his aching body all to ready to protest painfully. His legs throbbed, his lungs burned, and his back ached.  
  
"Idiot girl." Hiei grunted. "You should of kept going."  
  
"Idiot boy." Ankara said ferociously. "Like I would leave my rescuer here to die in the snow."  
  
"Idiot girl!" Hiei repeated. "I am an apparition. I don't die easy!"  
  
He struggled to get to his feet. Once standing, he glared back down at the raven-haired girl. "Listen, I don't have the time nor the energy to baby-sit you while we wait for your village idiots to come and get us. Either get moving or else!"  
  
Ankara got up, gaze reproachful. "You do have quite the way with words."  
  
Hiei scowled deeply. "Get moving, wench!"  
  
Ankara sniffed, and then stood. Hiei immediately felt terrible. The wounds she had sustained were now heavy, painful-looking scabs, her hands still oozing blood. Her face looked gaunt, her sides hollow. Her hair, so carefully brushed for the Ceremony, hung limply around her face, making her look like some fragile eidolon brought back from the deaths of eternal pain.  
  
Hiei stood, staring dumbly at the young girl. No, the woman she would so soon become. From the pools of those sorrowful eyes was a small flame, flickering feebly in the wind of her suffering but still alight. The strength she had was overwhelming, and Hiei had a peculiar feeling bloom in his chest. It felt like his heart was falling into many pieces.  
  
"Hiei?"  
  
Her voice snapped him from his revere. He moved forewords and slipped an arm around her waist. Shifting her less-than-substantial weight, he picked her up as if he was carrying a bride. Her surprise was evident, but Hiei ignored her open mouth and furrowed brow.  
  
"What the-?"  
  
"What, did you expect me to let you walk in your feeble condition?!" Hiei cut her off as he began to walk, climbing up the ever climbing slope.  
  
"Feeble?! Who're you callin-Oof!" Ankara stopped in surprise as Hiei dropped her into a patch of snow.  
  
"Fine. Prove it, whelp."  
  
Ankara sent him a chilling glare before climbing out of the powdery snow in which she had been so abruptly deposited. She picked her way onto the path, the uneven and rocky ground making her going slow. Hiei let out a whoosh of air in a noisy sigh.  
  
"Like I said. A pace like yours is begging for failure. At least if I carry you my own hide gets saved from them damn Sorunials." Hiei neatly picked her up, causing her to squeak in indignation.  
  
He sent her another glare, and she looked away, nose up. Her face was set in an indignant pout, the streaks of sunlight in the sky turning her white skin a bluish-gold.  
  
They continued on in silence, the trudge of Hiei's feet through the snow and loose gravel the only noises heard. After an hour on ongoing travel, Hiei's ears started to pick up other small sounds. He told himself he was creating things to fear out of paranoia, but the sounds only became more frequent.  
  
His nerves grew as his brain identified the added noises. The crunch of snow, the skid of a loose pebble, the soft grunts of an all-too demon exertion.  
  
"Ankara.." Hiei didn't look behind him, and kept his voice low. "Don't look, but can you hear anyone else behind us?"  
  
Ankara held her breath and strained to hear. "Nothing. All I can hear is you and the throb of the headache I have."  
  
"Complain, complain." Hiei muttered. He tried to concentrate on simply walking, but the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. On instinct, he drew sharply off to the left, hugging the bare rock of the cliff wall.  
  
An arrow, skillfully shot, whizzed past him and Ankara. It found no purchase, and clattered harmlessly off the side of the mountainous cliff.  
  
"RUN!" Ankara shrieked, looking over Hiei's shoulder. Five archers had been sent up to stealthily follow them and retrieve Ankara in order to continue her punishment, and now all five had an arrow to the string to shoot Hiei down.  
  
Hiei didn't need to be told twice. Adrenaline pumping through his body, he took off. He leapt over the rocks in his path, taking great, jumping strides in order to outrun the deadly pursuers.  
  
As the chase continued, the path kept ascending. The air slowly got thinner, and Hiei's lungs burned. He gasped for air, his body screaming for him to stop, rest, fling himself down to never move again. But Ankara's terrified grip around his neck kept him aware of his purpose.  
  
Willpower or no, Hiei was soon going to be physically unable to continue moving. His movements were numbing, his limbs sluggish. His vision started to waver, and his gasping gulps of the thinning air started to rip out of his throat painfully. He was on fire with the agony of keeping moving.  
  
The five archers saw their prey weakening, and sprang forewords. well-fed, well rested, and carrying only their own weight, the archers had a devastating advantage. Now only five paces behind the ever-slowing Hiei and the terrified Ankara, they felt victory.  
  
Hiei kept moving foreword, but his left foot refused. The tingling numbness took control, and he tipped forewords. The ground came rushing up to meet him, powdery white and cold. He landed, managing to throw Ankara ahead of him and out of his way.  
  
Ankara gave a frightened squeak as the advancing archers all drew their hardwood bows taunt. She glanced at the fallen Hiei, at his unseeing half-open eyes. She didn't hesitate before running back to her rescuer, her only real friend. Grabbing hold of his lifeless hands, Ankara attempted to drag him away from the archers. In her already weakened state, her efforts to move him were useless.  
  
One archer came forewords, bow still held at ready. Ankara recognized him and tried to appeal to him. "Mushiyuuro, please-!"  
  
The man's face had an odd, closed expression behind his cold blue eyes. With a twitch of a muscle, his fingers released the shaft of the arrow. It thudded sickeningly into the small of Hiei's back.  
  
Hiei, still unconscious let out a short, despairing cry of anguish. Blood already was staining his clothes, his limbs convulsing and eyes rolling madly.  
  
The second and third archers loosed as well, their arrows finding home in his thigh and the fleshy part of his calf. Ankara was screaming, and Hiei could do little more than groan as the pain threatened to push him across the barrier between the living and the dead.  
  
Pearls started to fall into the snow as Ankara started to cry. Shoving her hair back, Ankara faced the men, two standing frozen with their bows lined up to hit Hiei.  
  
"Monsters!" Ankara screamed. "Monsters! Bastards! Why?!"  
  
The men exchanged frightened glances, and the one Ankara had recognized frowned deeply. "Finish the boy and let's get the Sacrifice back to the village."  
  
The fourth archer obeyed, drawing back the coiled string of his bow to anchor his thumb to his ear, sighting Hiei's exposed neck down the straight shaft of the arrow.  
  
"Leave him be, his pain causes the pain of a Daughter."  
  
A cool, female voice cracked like a whip, causing the five men and Ankara whirl around to face the cliff wall. A few feet above their heads was a small outcropping, and a slender apparition stood, looking impassively down at the bloody scene below.  
  
Long white hair whipped in the sudden, chill wind. Cold blue eyes stared down at them, and the blood-red of the lips stood out against the pale of the cheek. An Ice apparition woman, and an important one at that. Her kimono was intricately embroidered, and ropes of perfect, teardrop pearls were strung around her waist, decorating her silver obi.  
  
The five archers averted their faces humbly, the one about to fire at Hiei's prone form quickly releasing the tension and putting the arrow harmlessly in the quiver on his shoulder.  
  
"Milady, this girl is ours, and this...man's life is forfeit." The leader, Moshiyuuro, mumbled.  
  
The inquisitive gaze of piercing blue eyes made the man squirm. "Oh? And how does it come to be that a Daughter of the Ice, such as this one, came to be a possession of yours?"  
  
"She's...uh, our Sacrifice." Moshiyuuro dropped his eyes, abashed.  
  
"Be that as it may, she is now in our territory, and you, Outsiders, have no claim to her. This man is yours, do as you wish. He is not one of ours as the blood he carries is tainted." The woman spoke softly, yet her words carried a hidden power that demanded obedience.  
  
"She was our Sacrifice first!" A younger, more foolish member of the five archers said hotly. "It don't matter she's some 'Daughter,' our god has need of her and he's gonna get- Ahhhgh!"  
  
He stopped midsentance as the apparition raised her hand, pointing a menacing finger at the speaker. Demon Energy crackled, and the Sorunial demon's insides were immediately turned into solid ice. He dropped like a stone, expression of horror fixated on his face as he tipped over the edge of the cliff.  
  
"Take the boy and be gone from this ground." The woman's voice was dangerously low, and her eyes took on the appearance of twin flecks of steel. "You are never welcome here."  
  
Exchanging frightened looks, the Sorunials all nodded furiously at this statement. At Moshiyuuro's gesture, the archer who hadn't previously shot at Hiei put an arrow to the string, and aimed carefully.  
  
"No!" Ankara said forcefully. The woman looked at her in surprise, as did the archers. "He saved my life, Milady. I won't stand for him to be killed!"  
  
The apparition looked at her, eyes going soft. "Little one, it may already be too late to prevent that."  
  
Ankara stared at her in wordless horror. Then she threw herself to her knees next to Hiei's still unmoving form. Using careful fingers, Ankara gripped the arrow that protruded from the small of Hiei's back, pinning his blood-drenched cloak to his flesh.  
  
With a swift tug, Ankara drew out the arrowhead and flung the shaft away. Ripping at the thin, raggedy dress she stil wore from the Ceremony, Ankara attempted to blot at the wound, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.  
  
So intent on her mending, Ankara didn't notice the four Sorunials gazing dumbstruck at her. Her persistence in keeping any grasp on this strange man's life was apparently more compassion than any of them had ever seen.  
  
"Be gone, scum!" The apparition commanded, rousing the spellbound archers from their amazed revere. With hurried, embarrassed bows, the four remaining turned and fled back down the trail.  
  
Ankara didn't even notice. Ripping more fabric away, Ankara was busily shifting Hiei's limp body to make a makeshift bandage. Once it was firmly in place, she moved resolutely to the arrow protruding from his thigh.  
  
"Why do you persist in helping this outcast-unclean? He is a mistake, an error. No one will cry if he dies." The apparition's voice held no malice, only genuine confusion. She sounded as if she had no idea why an Ice apparition would ever care for anyone other than other Ice apparitions.  
  
"Because!" Ankara shouted, her anger getting the better of her better judgment. "I'M the outcast-unclean! I'm supposed to be dead, or dying, and only he cared enough to try and change that!"  
  
The wind whistled around the craggy head of the mountain, whipping their hair and clothing around in a wild tempest. Snow was kicked up into the grasp of the whirling air. Amid the fury of the harsh elements, Ankara felt increasingly alone. Another tear escaped her eye, and as she stared sadly down at Hiei's closed lids, she said softly, "I would cry if he dies."  
  
The tear dropped from her chin, and landed with a soft thud on Hiei's chest. There, it nested in the folds of his cloak, still damp with the spilt blood.  
  
"Come then, child." The apparition's voice was suddenly tired. "We shall help you heal him before we make him leave."

* * *

End Chapter  
  
Authoress here.  
  
Ah, the feeling of accomplishment after finishing a chapter! And the second to last one, no less! Review if you please...I know I would be....Off to start the last chapter...and the last chapter of the Yujo Chronicles....  



	7. Dawn Always Comes

Authoress here.  
  
I apologize. This chapter will be sad. Because I'm sad. And when I'm sad, my chapter is sad. I wonder how many times I can say 'sad' in one opening statement. Sad, sad, sad.

* * *

**Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story  
Chapter Seven  
**  
_Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.  
  
So cold...so cold...can't breathe...terrible...pain....darkness._  
  
Two apparition women stood outside of the black wood building, eyes remote and faces dispassionate.  
  
"Sayuuri..."  
  
"Yes?" The second turned to look at the first.  
  
The first woman sighed. "The little one...belongs to no one. I've asked everywhere. She has no home to go to once this outcast leaves."  
  
Sayuuri didn't say anything. Her face showed the slightest signs of remorse and pity, her deep silver eyes wells of thought. "She will find refuge somewhere. Do not worry yourself overmuch."  
  
"The outcast will die." The first woman's voice was matter-of-fact.  
  
Sayuuri's expression didn't change much, but it was evident she was surprised. "He has stopped bleeding. What makes you certain, Huulyn?"  
  
"It has been three days, and still he burns with fever. His Fire apparition blood does not quiet. If he remains here, in Ice World, his death will be eminent."  
  
"What shall we tell the little one?" Sayuuri asked.  
  
"I am not certain. If he does not awaken within the rising and setting of tonight's moon, he will have to leave. We cannot take him. The little one is still too weak. He will die if tonight he awakens not." Huulyn's voice sounded terribly burdened. Her white hair framed the blue-gray eyes, and her concern was plain.  
  
"I am not certain of many things concerning either of them."  
  
_Can't...get up...so cold....terrible pain...where can I hide..?...Must...get up...pain...  
  
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.  
  
_"Hiei." Inside the black wood building, Ankara kept vigil by Hiei's side. Melted ice water, still frigidly cold, surrounded the black-haired demon, keeping the bathing basin he had been laid in full. The ice water was in hopes to break the fever that raged behind his half-closed eyes.  
  
"Hiei." Ankara repeated, calm. She knew he would wake up. If he didn't, she wouldn't know what next to do. She would be worthless. He saved her life so many times, unquestioning, without any expectancy of a return favor. But now, as he lay moaning, sweat beading his forehead, his eyes rolling occasionally beneath the heavy lids, she must make him wake up.  
  
"Hiei."  
  
He looked so terribly young, and so terribly alone. The water reflected the witch-light cast by Huulyn to light the one-room building, making his skin look translucent and sickly. His hands twitched every now and then, and his hair was soaked through with a combination of sweat and the ice water she bathed his brow with.  
  
"Hiei."  
  
Ankara felt a painful burning eat away at her heart. She would be alone, if he left her now. However self-centered it was, she needed him to live, even if he were to leave. Just knowing that someone who walked the worlds cared enough to give her more than a second's thought would bring her comfort. The prospect of being so alone was frightening.  
  
The thought scared her more every time she thought about it, and it was always just below the surface of her mind. Ankara felt tears readying themselves to fall, but she swallowed them back with frantic forcefulness. Already, as his moaning grew less frequent, she felt more lost. Her eyes darted off to one side, to the small knife lying on the low table beside her.  
  
Huulyn had given it to her to help cut out the arrowhead from his thigh. It had been driven behind the muscle, and had lodged itself there. With a careful incision, Ankara had managed to weave it out without damaging the muscle. But now the tool had endless possibilities.  
  
Would it be kinder to Hiei if she were to slit his throat, let him die in peace? Or would it be less painful to take the blade to her own flesh, taste the sweet metal and let it embrace her as a fitting sheath, draining her of the loneliness and fears she held inside.  
  
"Please, Hiei." Ankara took his hand, the one farther away. Bringing it across his chest, she put the almost unbearably hot flesh of his palm to her cheek, willing him to feel her, to recognize how much he was needed here.  
  
His fever's heat burned at her cheek, and a tear slipped unbidden from her eye. It slid down her face to trickle onto his hand. As the moisture touched his skin, it sizzled and floated away in a rush of vapor.  
  
"Why won't you let me cry, Hiei?" Ankara asked, smiling hopelessly. "Why? I'm waiting for you, Hiei, to wake up, call me names and save me from everything. I'll save you back, Hiei, but you must wake up."  
  
Ankara took her other hand and brushed the tips of her fingers across his cheek, then up the rise of his nose. Following the contours of his face, she trailed over the bridge of his nose, brushing his eyelashes, then back down his other cheek to his lips.  
  
"You look so peaceful, Hiei. You never do. It scares me. Is death really peace? Or do we just have to relive everything, in order to die? I don't want either of us to find out, Hiei." Ankara traced his lips with one fingertip. "This is all too real. I won't ever be able to erase all of these memories, unless I die with you."  
  
Her eyes darted back to the knife, then returned to his face. "You'd hate what I'm about to say, Hiei. Wake up and make me stop talking."  
  
His lips remained silent, his breathing still labored. The ice water was quickly evaporating, due to the heat pulsing from his fevered body. The Fire blood raced painfully in his veins, conflicting against the struggle to hang on, the lifeline made up of one silver strand.  
  
"If you leave me here alone, Hiei." Ankara said softly. "Then I won't have anything to live for. You could wake up and leave now, and I'd be so happy. Even if you were in a different world, and I never saw you again, knowing you were alive would be enough. You could help me bear the load of these memories. What a pair we'd be, you and I. You, brave and proud as you are, me so quiet and scared."  
  
Her hand left his face, and slowly inched towards the knife on the table. "Hiei, die and I will die alongside you. You are the closest thing I've ever had to hold, and I don't mind. But please... Wake up. Don't make me disappoint you. Tell me I'm wrong, you're right, and just open your eyes."  
  
He didn't move. More tears ran down her face, evaporating as they touched his skin.  
  
Trembling fingers touched the cold stone of the knife's handle. Her grip tightened, and she rocked slightly, hovering on a feeble indecision. "Hiei...I will see you again, regardless of where we go."  
  
The knife felt so cool in her hand, and she brought her arm in slowly, resting the blade tenderly against her neck. The razor sharp edge rested innocently against the paper-thin skin, and she trembled, holding his hand to her cheek and the knife to her throat. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply, readying herself for the cool of the knife tearing, searing into her throat, swallowing her miseries.  
  
With a sudden jab she forced all of her strength against the blade, intending for it to rip into her throat.  
  
Her wrist gave a violent tug in the opposite direction, and the blade went spinning away to bury itself up to the hilt in the wooden wall in front of her.  
  
Hiei's free hand held her around her wrist, firmly. His eyes were open, halfway and glazed, but open nonetheless.  
  
"Damnation, wench, are you trying to make it difficult for me to keep you alive?!"  
  
Ankara stared at him, wide-eyed. Her hand kept his firmly pressed to her cheek in her shock, and Hiei coughed feebly. He shook his head foggily, all of his movements sluggish.  
  
"Hiei-"  
  
"Couldn't you of waited a few more minutes?!" Hiei complained. "I was about ready to open my eyes, and then you started speaking like the world was going to end. Good thing I had enough strength to move quickly enough before you actually carried out your idiotic notions."  
  
Ankara gave a small half smile, relief paralyzing her and joy flooding her. She let go of his hand and flung both arms around him, sobbing with relief, her tears evaporating against him.  
  
_Three hours later_  
  
Hiei lay on a thin pallet, dry now and resting peacefully. His Fire blood had seemed to have quieted, and his slumber was that of a healing nature. Within a few more hours, he would be able to travel off of Ice World.  
  
After he had woken up, Ankara had gone to get Huulyn, the local chieftess of the Border village. The stern woman had questioned him carefully, extracting the events of the last few days in full detail. Ankara was then told to bathe and change into fresh clothing; her Sorunial garb was to be destroyed.  
  
After Ankara had left, Huulyn turned somberly to Hiei. "She has no one to take her in, here."  
  
"Are you suggesting that you'd throw her out?!"  
  
Huulyn patted the air in a soothing motion. "No. No matter the circumstance, an Ice apparition will always have a home. What I meant to communicate in telling you that was that if you have any idea to whom she may belong..."  
  
Hiei scowled fiercely. "The last time I was here in this damn cold world, my mother was forced to drop me from a cliff. I can't exactly say I'm popular with the locals."  
  
"I wasn't inferring that. But you are the only link to her we happen to have at our disposal." Huulyn was aggravatingly calm.  
  
"Listen, I've told you everything I know. She was kidnapped from here as a child. She has no memory of it, and there's no way in the seven hells I would." Hiei fought back the urge to yawn. Fatigue was tugging at his eyelids; even his words were beginning to slur.  
  
"You grow more and more tired as we continue. I apologize for my persistence." Huulyn said quietly. "I must ask you one last time. Is there anywhere she could go?"  
  
Hiei couldn't fight his urge to sleep any longer. "Send her to my family," he mumbled as his eyes closed. "My mother has already lost one child. Ankara will be welcome there."  
  
_Present time  
_  
The visions floating before their eyes died as Hiei slumped foreword on the roof. The sky was streaked pink with the oncoming of dawn, and the few clouds hung in the air were colored a brilliant gold.  
  
Kurama regarded his friend seriously, unblinking. Never before had Hiei opened up so completely about his past, never before had Kurama seen the black-haired demon so shaken.  
  
"Shortly after I revived, I was told to leave." Hiei said dully, continuing where the visions left off. "I never got to see her after that, though I was told by the apparitions she was to be sent to be with Yukina and her caretakers. They told me they had already taken here there, and then showed me a different path to take out of Ice World."  
  
"How long ago was this?" Kurama asked gently.  
  
"Twenty-six years."  
  
A window opened up in the office compound beneath them. A haggard voice called out. "Hey, you punks, get down from there! This is an office building, not monkey bars!"  
  
Hiei stood up without a retort, which was strange in and of itself. But as he prepared to leave the roof, Kurama caught his arm. "Don't just run off like you always do. Thank you," Kurama continued, lowering his voice, "for telling me."  
  
"Whatever." Hiei scowled at the sunrise. "I don't know why this has been bothering me lately. I haven't really given it more than a second thought for years. "  
  
Kurama smiled gently, giving Hiei's shoulder a pat. "Love has a way of doing that, showing up when you least expect it."  
  
"Love?!"  
  
"Of course. What did you think it was?" Kurama's expression was serious, and Hiei felt indignant.  
  
"I don't love, Kurama. And whatever the 'it' you're talking about is, it isn't love!" Hiei scowled fiercely. "Besides...what is the 'it?'"  
  
"The feeling in your chest, like your heart was being eaten away, the terror you felt when you thought she was to be harmed, the relief when she was alright." Kurama stared pensively at the brightening sky. "You may say otherwise, but demon hearts aren't as abrasive to passion and emotion as people think. We're just inclined against it, not incapable of it."  
  
Hiei spat over the side of the roof. "You've just gone soft, with your fifteen years in that pathetic human body. I might of possibly been concerned for the wench, but love-!" The word passed over his tongue like something foul.  
  
But he waited for his friend to find the fire escape ladder to get off of the roof before leaping nimbly down to the ground.  
  
They retreated to the park across the street just as the streetlamps guttered out. Emiko had fallen asleep on the bench waiting for Kurama.  
  
Kurama smiled briefly, and then bent to wake her. A rush of wind made him pause, and look behind to where Hiei had been standing. The raven-haired demon was gone, and Kurama wasn't surprised.  
  
With a little sigh, Kurama turned back to his mate. Brushing a hand to her cheek, he leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Emiko."  
  
With a little moan, Emiko turned over and opened her eyes blearily. Blinking a few times, she sat up. "It's morning already?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Kurama sat down heavily next to her, and she cocked an eyebrow. "Much on that mind of yours, Yoko?"  
  
He sighed again, heavier this time. "Yes. Hiei's being stubborn with himself again."  
  
"Is it something he wouldn't mind me hearing?"  
  
"I'm afraid he would commit homicide if I told you." Kurama said with a little grin. He sobered quickly. "He usually keeps things to himself, but this will eat at him."  
  
"Knowing him," Emiko said thoughtfully. "He'll wait until he can hardly stand it, and then he'll fix things for himself. He's always looked out for himself before; now will be no different."  
  
Kurama nodded slowly. A part of him doubted Emiko's logic, although that was Hiei's usual pattern. His mate looked at him sidelong.  
  
"Yoko, there comes a point when his friendship with you becomes the deciding factor. If you've done everything you could to convince him to take action, then that's the best anyone can do."  
  
Kurama glanced at her gratefully. Emiko leaned foreword and placed a lingering kiss on the fox demon-gone-human's lips. Breaking away, she looked down his deep orbs and took his cheeks in her palms. "Knowing you, he's sitting somewhere gnawing on what you said, deciding to do what's right."  
  
Kurama enveloped her in a hug, resting his cheek on her hair. "I hope he does. I, for one, couldn't live without you."  
  
True to Emiko's prediction, Hiei sat on the highest perch he could find: the steel beams that would soon become a finished seven-story building. His eyes were glazed over, and he chewed on his lip, deep in thought.  
  
_Love...maybe._  
  
The wind brought his hair whipping around, the air cool. He closed his eyes, imagining Ice World, the cool touch of her palm on his face as he lay in the throes of the fever. His fingers sought the pearl hanging around his neck, the same pearl that had been formed of her tears when she had pleaded for his life atop the cliffs, so long ago.  
  
Resolve tightened his grip, and he reopened his eyes. One day, he promised. One day, he would cheat this newly realized love no longer.

* * *

**End Chapter  
  
End Yujo Chronicles: Ankara's Story**  
  
Authoress here.  
  
Yeah, it's over. Our five new favorite heroines are about ready to call it quits and throw in the towel. BUT I'M NOT. So, in order to be pathetic like I promised I would, and to squeeze ALL the life out of the Yujo Chronicles, I will be doing a final story, like an epilogue.  
  
So...look forewords to **Yujo Chronicles: The Final Chapter** coming soon!  
  
CUT TO THE CREDITS!!  
  
CUE THE AUTHORESS THEME SONG!!!  
  
Hey! I just realized I've mentioned my theme song several times and have never shared it. YES, there is an actual theme song I've written for me. Well, actually for my manga, Safe Havens, but it works as my theme song as well. Like, if I were an Anime, this would play on the introduction. Or something like that. Okay, no laughing. If you understand time signatures and all, I would say on a metronome it goes maybe 120 or so. Here goes:  
  
_You're so intoxicating, I find it hard to breathe around you.  
You're like a tonic worth taking,  
but you burn all the way down ooh-ooh...  
  
I love the way you stand outside on stormy days  
and let the rain fall on your face  
I like the way you stand outside on sunny days  
and let the light make you look like Heaven,  
ooh-ooh..  
  
Take me once,  
take me twice, take me any time you like,  
Far away to a Safe Haven  
  
When it's you when it's me,  
It's as perfect as can be.  
Anywhere you are is my Safe Haven....  
_  
Okay, so it's good for a romance/action manga called Safe Havens, but for an odd Authoress like me, it's...lacking. Note to self: Write better Authoress theme song.  
  
See you next story! And..REVIEW!  
  



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